


Communicate

by AuroraNova



Series: The Vadari Chronicles [24]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Families of Choice, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24188320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraNova/pseuds/AuroraNova
Summary: “It is bad enough that you know my fears, Julian. Must you verbalize them as well?”“On occasion.”The infamous O'Brien bad luck strikes again, and events lead Julian and Elim to an overdue discussion about their relationship.
Relationships: Julian Bashir & Miles O'Brien, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Series: The Vadari Chronicles [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1336183
Comments: 135
Kudos: 216





	1. Prologue

Julian heads directly to Elim’s shop after work and finds it devoid of customers. “How’s business?”

“I’m working on a custom order,” says Elim. He likes those because they allow him to express his creativity and offer more interest than simply hemming trousers. Not that he’s said as much, but Julian has figured it out all the same.

Julian peers over Elim’s shoulder and sees a sketch for what looks to his uneducated eye like a formal Vulcan robe and, next to it, a complicated swirling design Elim is drawing out which could be for any number of purposes. Embroidery, maybe. Julian is less knowledgeable about Vulcan fashion than he is fashion in general, so he hasn’t a clue, and honestly has a much more interesting topic on his mind.

All the same, they both enjoy a little conversational prelude, so he doesn’t jump to his news. Instead he says, “I imagine it will be good for you when the holosuites are operational again.”

“Not as good as it used to be when you paid for your costumes.”

“I’m getting them for free now?” Julian hadn’t exactly thought about it. He doesn’t want to take advantage and therefore hadn’t presumed. Besides, the entire point is moot without power for holosuites, and last he heard they’re looking at another four or five months before sufficient energy is available.

“It would be insulting to require payment from you. Chief O’Brien, however, should not expect me to send him matching outfits unless he cares to purchase them.”

Julian is greatly looking forward to this new synchronized holo tech and not at all worried about matching outfits. “I’m sure Miles will manage.”

“No doubt,” agrees Elim. “Not that I object to your visit, my dear, but does it have a particular purpose?” He was in the middle of something, then. If he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t be rushing the conversation.

“Yes, actually.” Julian can’t help but grin. “Miles commed after you left this morning. Keiko’s been asked to fill in at a botany conference. It’s quite an honor for her.”

“I’m pleased for Professor O’Brien,” says Elim. He lets his eyes ask why Julian is so excited about Keiko’s botany conference.

“It’s on Prela IV next month. Since the Academy is on summer break, they’re thinking of bringing the kids and making a family trip of it.” Miles is very keen on his family time now. It’s the whole reason he took the Academy posting, after all.

Elim raises his eyeridges. “A family trip where the mother is spending her days at a conference?”

“They’ll stay past the conference. The point is, Prela IV isn’t far from us.” And therein lies the reason for Julian’s delight. Prela IV is just into the next sector and a short trip away. Julian started considering possibilities as soon as Miles said the name, and was delighted to find Miles on the same page.

“I see. You intend to arrange for time off to spend with them.”

“I got permission, so long as I’m willing to spend the week before working the night shift while Dr. Andrews is on her honeymoon.” Julian considers it a fair trade, especially considering Miles and Keiko are putting in effort to see him which makes him feel very valued indeed.

“And how long will you be gone?” asks Elim.

“Six days,” Julian says. “That’s all the time off I could get on short notice and with the ongoing suboptimal staffing level.” (He didn’t think four weeks was short notice until told otherwise. Evidently the standards are different here than they were on DS9, a fact he’s noted for future reference.) “Do you want to come?”

Elim’s eyeridges rise even further. “The O’Briens invited me to share their vacation? I find that difficult to believe.”

“Well, it’s not so much that Miles is excited to spend time with you…”

“ _That_ I can believe.”

“…as he’s trying to demonstrate that he respects I’ve chosen you as my partner. I think.” It’s entirely possible Keiko is behind the invitation, or Julian has missed something else, or both.

“Forgive me if I’m not convinced,” says Elim.

Julian casually adds, “I thought you’d like the tropical jungles.”

Elim’s interest is piqued, as predicted. He’s no fan of the cooler weather they’re experiencing now, even if it is perfectly temperate to a human. “Tropical jungles?”

“You wouldn’t have to spend the whole time with me and the O’Briens, or even most of the time. There’s plenty to explore on your own.” If nothing else, Elim will enjoy the climate, and the region where Keiko’s conference is being held happens to boast ample choices for tourists, from day hikes to culinary tours. Molly is apparently quite insistent on seeing real birds. Miles says she’s going through an ornithology phase, so the Birds of the Rainforest Tour is a must.

“I’ll consider it,” says Elim, but Julian is fairly sure the answer is going to be yes.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sticking to one POV per story for this series, but I think this particular installment is better served with alternating POVs, so here we go.

It is not exactly the case, as Julian seems to think (and Garak is content to allow him to believe), that the allure of a few days in a tropical rainforest is so great that Garak cannot help but commit to a vacation shared with Miles O’Brien and family.

Admittedly, the climate promises to be agreeable. Garak is certainly happy about it. The region of Vadari VII in which they reside may have mild winters to someone raised in places where water is known to freeze, as Julian was, but to Cardassian sensibilities it is decidedly cold. All the same, thus far he has yet to encounter weather which is truly intolerable, and they’re returning to spring now. He also takes a fair bit of solace in the way Julian takes pains to make the chill as minimally impactful as possible. It is a novelty to Garak that someone is so concerned over his comfort, and he thinks Julian’s solicitousness will carry him through winters for many years.

His larger concern at the moment is Julian’s safety. The last time Julian left Vadari VII he was kidnapped in a matter of hours, and while Garak knows that at some point he will have to concede to Julian traveling alone, it doesn’t have to be right now. At the very least, he would like more time to feel confident in his tentative conclusion that Section 31 is going to leave Julian alone so long as he accepts the punishment they deemed fit for him.

Therefore, he is getting off a transport to meet Miles O’Brien and children, having already promised Julian that he will be perfectly civil and not bait the chief. He hopes Professor O’Brien extracted a similar pledge from her husband.

Julian is excited, of course. He waits impatiently while they wait in line to transport from the orbital port to the planet’s surface, and has no sooner materialized than he’s eagerly looking around for the O’Briens. As soon as he spots them, he strides their way at what any Cardassian would call an undignified pace. Garak refuses to lower himself that much for anyone other than perhaps Julian, and therefore trails behind. It’s not as though he is the one the O’Briens are eager to see.

“Julian!” Molly accompanies the exclamation with a wave, as if Julian wasn’t already on a direct course for her.

Hugs follow. O’Brien briefly embraces Julian in a more restrained fashion, where Molly throws herself around him with abandon. By this time Garak has caught up to them and, making good on his promise, offers a respectful greeting. “Hello, Chief.”

“Garak.” O’Brien nods slightly. “It’s good to see you looking well. Uh, glad you could join us.”

He’s making an effort to follow polite human customs, even if he is a terrible liar. Garak elects to respect the attempt. “As I am. I trust Earth is proving agreeable.”

“It sure is,” says O’Brien.

By mutual silent agreement, they turn their attention to the rest of their party. Julian is exclaiming over how much Molly has grown and, when she points to her newly-pierced ears, dutifully admiring them. Kirayoshi is watching with some confusion.

Julian crouches down. “Hi, Yoshi. Do you remember me?”

“This is Julian,” explains Molly.

Her brother does not look enlightened. After a second, he says, “Hi,” very quietly.

Molly then turns her attention to Garak. “Hi, Mr. Garak!”

“Hello, Molly.”

“Mom and Dad said you’re Julian’s boyfriend now.” She seems entirely unbothered by the idea. This is quite unlike how a Cardassian child would react to a family friend with an alien lifemate, and it must be admitted that there is something to the Federation ideal of tolerance, even if it is often taken entirely too far.

“He is,” says Julian, leaving out the fact that neither of them cares for the word ‘boyfriend.’ Garak finds it strange, unwieldly, and imprecise, where Julian prefers ‘partner’ because he says it sounds more mature and carries more connotations of joined lives and permanence. (The latter point is particularly pleasing to Garak.)

Further discussion is cut off when Kirayoshi announces, “I’m hungry.”

“Okay,” says his father, “let’s bring Julian and Garak’s bags to the hotel check-in, and then we’ll get lunch.”

Garak is not thrilled with this plan. From his observations, he is expected to hand over his luggage for transport directly to their hotel room. Convenient, he supposes, but he’d much rather inspect the room for surveillance devices first. On the other hand, it doesn’t take a great deal of knowledge about children to know that they do not handle hunger well. Not even on Cardassia, where the young are expected to be more disciplined than their human counterparts, would a child of Kirayoshi’s age manage ideal behavior when forced to wait on food. Garak will simply have to inspect the room – and the luggage – later.

He tries not to think about how many Cardassian children are going without food in the aftermath of the Dominion assault. It will only make him maudlin, and he has no intention of providing any check on Julian’s happiness today.

They check in, or rather Julian checks them in as the reservation is in his name, and consign their bags to the automated transport system. That done, they are free to see to lunch. In the interest of time they end up in an establishment not terribly unlike the Replimat on Deep Space Nine, if quite a bit larger. Kirayoshi remembers Julian now, his memory apparently triggered by Julian’s ability to wiggle his ears at a rapid pace, and requests repeated demonstrations while they wait in line.

Garak is as interested as the boy. It’s news to him that humans are capable of moving their ears. Or is this unique to Julian? Garak can’t fathom why geneticists would take pains to ensure independent ear motion, but it could be a side effect of something else, for all he knows.

“I don’t usually wiggle my ears,” Julian explains while O’Brien and the children discuss what to order. “It stopped Yoshi from crying once, and then it became our thing.”

Fascinating. “Is this ability common?”

“On average, fifteen percent of humans can do it, with some regional variations.”

Garak understands. While not an exceptionally rare physical capability, it is unusual enough that Julian wouldn’t care to call attention to it before his genetic enhancements were known. He still does not care to be recognized for his physical aptitudes, preferring instead to focus on his prodigious medical mind.

“Does it give you any advantages?” asks Garak. It’s always good to know such information.

“So far, just amusing Yoshi.”

Quieting a crying human child is not a skill to be undervalued. The wails are _extremely_ annoying, as Garak knows from unfortunate, if thankfully limited, personal experience. He wonders if the movement of Julian’s ears would similarly inspire another young human to cease crying, if the need arises. One can hope.

The replicators do not offer a single Cardassian dish, unsurprisingly, so Garak selects a Tellarite casserole he used to enjoy at the Replimat and sits to savor his meal – unlike Julian, who is so pleased to be reunited with his friend that he would barely notice if his plate was swapped out for entirely different food, short of perhaps gagh. This is fine by Garak. He is content to let Julian and the O’Briens do most of the talking, though he takes care to comment with enough frequency that he cannot be accused of complete disengagement. There’s no need to be rude, even if he is not particularly interested in the details of Molly O’Brien’s life on Earth.

Kirayoshi is the messiest eater Garak has ever seen. He wonders if this is common among humans or the boy simply has abysmal coordination.

It hardly matters. Julian is extremely happy, and that is Garak’s only concern on this trip.


	3. Chapter 2

Elim parts ways with the rest of them after lunch, pleading business research when Molly asks why he’s not going with them to see the geyser. He will undoubtedly be happier exploring the city – and yes, taking note of any fashion trends which catch his eye – than visiting a geyser. Not least because it is soon apparent that the real draw, as far as the kids are concerned, is playing in the spray pools.

“I’m a seal!” says Yoshi, on his belly with his feet in the air, arms tucked against his side to the elbows.

“Seals eat fish,” retorts Molly. “You can’t be a seal if you won’t eat fish.”

“He’s not eating fish?” Julian asks Miles.

“It’s a phase. We hope.”

Parenting, from what Julian has seen, consists of an endless stream of phases, some more challenging than others. Molly went through a period where she refused to eat or wear anything blue. Miles and Keiko never did get to the bottom of that one.

Undeterred, Yoshi tells his sister, “I’m a seal who doesn’t like fish.”

Molly opens her mouth, looks at her father, and decides against whatever she was going to say. “Okay, Yoshi. Want to have a splash war?”

“We’ve been working on Molly letting her brother be wrong,” says Miles as the splash war commences.

“It seems to be paying off.”

“Thankfully.”

Julian doesn’t know much about sibling dynamics. It strikes him as the kind of topic which requires experience to truly understand, so he’s resigned himself to never truly comprehending the subject. According to Jadzia, having a sibling of your own doesn’t necessarily mean you have insight into anyone else’s relationship, anyway. Julian is content to take her word on that.

“We were thinking of going on the bird tour tomorrow morning,” Miles says. “Molly insisted we wait until after the conference so Keiko can come. And Keiko will be on bedtime duty, so you and I get a chance for an adult beverage or two.”

“I wonder if we can find a dartboard,” muses Julian.

“Ugh, Yoshi, you’re only supposed to splash water, not the mud!” Molly wipes the offending substance off her bathing suit and flings it back at her brother’s leg.

“I like mud!”

“He really does,” says Miles. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to clean muddy footprints off the floor. But yeah, I could go for darts.”

Julian thinks of all the games they played at Quark’s and smiles. “I’ll look for a pub.”

“Sounds good.” After a moment, Miles asks, “Do you think Garak will come on the birdwatching tour?” and doesn’t even sound grudging about it.

“He might.” He also might not, of course. Elim declined to make many firm commitments for this trip, and Julian didn’t push for any with real intent. “He doesn’t want to be rude to you.”

“Since when?”

“At a guess, since you’re now his partner’s best friend." 

Miles gives his ‘I don’t get it’ look. “You’re the only person I know who enjoys a relationship with someone who won’t come out and say anything.”

“I enjoy a challenge.”

“I’ve noticed,” says Miles. “You got one in Garak.”

“He says a lot more than most people realize,” adds Julian. If not always in words, in his actions and minute gestures. Oblique references, obscure connections, patterns, eye movement: these are the only ways Elim feels safe when communicating something truly important. It all goes back to Tain, no doubt, and likely a need for plausible deniability. “Hardly anyone bothers to put in the effort to hear him. Regardless, I appreciate your efforts to include him. I know Elim isn’t your favorite person.”

“No,” agrees Miles. “He makes you happy, though.”

“He does.” Far happier than Julian would have ever imagined when they first met. A year ago, Julian was freshly discharged from Starfleet and hurting. Now, though he’s still not _entirely_ at peace with his separation from Starfleet, he is the larger part of the way there, and he is building a good life on Vadari VII with Elim. Not the life either of them had planned for, but one in which they can nevertheless find joy.

“We were worried about you for a while,” Miles says. “You could’ve stayed on DS9 as a Bajoran Militia doctor. Instead you broke up with Ezri and went off to a moon I hadn’t even heard of before.”

“I knew what I was doing.” Namely, forcing himself not to pretend little had changed, and ensuring that a relationship with him wouldn’t hold Ezri’s career back. By now Julian has his doubts about their long-term suitability even if he’d been allowed to stay in Starfleet, but he knows any chance he and Ezri had was doomed once he was discharged.

That much, at least, worked out for the best. He couldn’t be happier with Elim and is pleased to still call Ezri a friend.

“Yeah,” says Miles. “You did.”

Further conversation is preempted when an alarm goes off and they have to get the kids further back. According to the informational sign, the geyser usually ejects perfectly safe warm water, but one eruption in five thousand sees the water dangerously hot. Miles ends up with mud on his pants in the process of relocating Yoshi. Both of them seem very accustomed to this state of affairs.

“What causes a geyser?” asks Molly, looking at her father.

“Well, planets have hot rocks called magma and… you know what, I bet Julian can explain it better than me.”

“I’m touched by your confidence,” says Julian. He can answer the question, firstly because he perfectly remembers the geology class he took nineteen years ago and secondly because he read the informational signs earlier while Miles was removing a rock from Yoshi’s shoe.

“This is an unusual geyser,” he begins. “Most eject water at or above the boiling point, but this one works a little differently.”

What follows is a basic and hopefully age-appropriate overview. When he finishes, Molly nods and asks, “If people weren’t here, do you think the animals would come play in the water?”

“That is a very good question.”

“So you don’t know.” Clearly Molly is already wise to the phrases adults use in attempts to get around admitting gaps in their knowledge.

“I suppose it depends on if they’re intelligent enough to realize it kills or injures them every other year when the water is hot.” Julian is no zoologist and does not care to venture a guess.

“Hmm.”

“Oh, wow!” Yoshi claps his hands in excitement when the geyser spews water ten meters into the air.

“That will make a lot of mud, Yoshi,” says Molly.

Julian allows himself a wince at the thought, to which Miles gives a resigned shrug.

“The water is safe for contact,” announces a computerized voice.

“Okay, kids, go ahead,” says Miles. “Just stay two giant leaps away from the fence.”

Yoshi doesn’t need to be told twice. “Yay!”

While the kids frolic in geyser water, Miles turns to Julian. “You’re good with them. Still think you’re not the family type?”

“I don’t think children are in the cards for us.”

This is the unsurprising conclusion Julian and Elim reached together. Elim at length admitted he would not be opposed to fatherhood on general principle, but doubts his suitability for it. When pressed, after several nights of discussion, he added that he finds slightly older children more appealing than infants and toddlers.

Well. He didn’t state it outright, but he did eventually give Julian enough to go on, and Julian recognized the effort Elim made to share this important information.

They both know – and Miles has to as well – that there isn’t an adoption agency in the Federation which is likely to give them a child. It’s just possible one might, after much additional scrutiny, approve Julian, though he wouldn’t bank on it at this point. Elim? Not a chance. A Cardassian who was in the Obsidian Order, blew up his own shop, and served six months for attempted genocide – no one on Vadari VII happens to know these details now, but it would all come to light if they applied to be adoptive parents. It’s not as though there are very many children in need of adoption, anyway. More suitable parents can be found.

“The very act of reproduction would be fraught. There’s no established procedure for a human-Cardassian couple.”

“Can’t you figure it out?” asks Miles. “You did for Worf and Jadzia.”

Julian already has several ideas how it could work, because he can’t resist a medical puzzle. “Ah, but therein lies the problem. An Augment resequencing genes for his own child? That’s going to raise a lot of understandable concerns. And even if someone else did that part, what kind of life would a half-Augment, half-Cardassian child have?”

“Is it that bad on Vadari VII?” asks Miles.

It’s better than it was when the news about Julian first got out. Not as simple as the revelation had turned out to be on DS9, and as much as this galls Julian he can’t find it in himself to blame people most of the time. “The Starfleet discharge changed a lot of things. People have been slower to accept me. I can live with that, but it’s not an environment into which I care to bring a child, and Elim agrees.”

“Things could change.”

“They could, and we’re open to reevaluating. To be honest, though, I’m not sure I’d want a child anyway. It changes everything.” Julian likes having time for reading, debates, medical research, and sex. He’s not entirely sold on the massive responsibility of fatherhood, though whether that’s genuine disinterest or years of believing he could never risk having a child and thus focusing on the negatives of parenting, he’s not quite sure. It hardly matters at this point.

“That it does,” agrees Miles. He looks to where his children are happily playing, Yoshi stomping in mud and Molly dancing in the water raining down from the geyser. “I think it’s worth what you give up, but it’s not for everyone.”

That, Julian has learned, is life. You rarely get everything you want. The rest is compromises and tradeoffs with the occasional consolation prize. Save a species, lose his career, gain a relationship with Elim, give up the option to have children (he may not have concluded that he wants to be a father, but it’d be nice to know he could if he chose). All that being the case, he’s not done too badly.

“Most things in life aren’t for everyone,” he says.

“That’s the truth,” agrees Miles. “Any updates on when you’ll have enough power for the holosuites?”

No, Julian’s particular combination of tradeoffs hasn’t gone too badly at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this geyser sounds impossible, alien geysers work differently. ;)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter count went up because suddenly Miles had an epilogue to add. These things happen.

Elim decides to join them for the birdwatching tour. “Perhaps I’ll be able to obtain some feathers,” he says as the group sets out. “Betazoid women often like feathers on their clothes.”

“Can’t you replicate feathers?” asks Keiko.

“They’re willing to pay a premium for authenticity. So long as the creatures don’t suffer or die, of course. My customers have been very clear on that point.”

Miles makes a confused face but says nothing about Garak’s quest, instead turning his attention to his daughter. “Molly, sweetie, how are you going to see birds if your eyes are glued to your PADD?”

“I want to know what birds I see.”

“Sure. That’s what the tour guide is for. Plus you can take pictures and identify them later.”

“Good point,” she says, and then they have to stop to put her PADD in the backpack hung on Yoshi’s stroller. There’s no such thing as travelling light with children.

It’s on the warm and humid side, as one expects in a tropical rainforest. Elim must be comfortable. The rest of them need to stay hydrated. Happily, the temperature isn’t worryingly high and the forecast doesn’t call for any rain until after sunset, so they have optimal weather for the tour. Julian hasn’t seen any birds yet – all he sees are trees, ferns, and other plant life – but he can hear a great many of them chirping and chattering away overhead. For Molly’s sake, he hopes they’re able to spot plenty of interesting birds.

After a slow start, the guide starts pointing out colorful creatures which look like giant purple parrots. Molly is delighted. Even Yoshi, with his much lesser interest in ornithology, is at least temporarily impressed.

“Now here’s a special treat,” says the guide, some minutes after the purple parrots. “It’s not often we get to see a yellow-footed narda without binoculars. This is a mature female, as you can tell by the deep yellow color of her feet.”

Julian has decided he’s simply not that fascinated by birds.

Molly, however, is, and she’s hopping up trying to glimpse this particular animal. “I can’t see it! The fern is in the way.”

Julian is plenty tall enough to see over the problematic fern, so he says, “Come here,” and hoists her up to admire the narda.

“It’s so pretty,” she says. “Look, here comes another one.” Sure enough, a second narda perches on the same branch. The guide, who clearly loves his job, informs them this is the female’s mate. Evidently this particular species is generally solitary, but individuals allow a mate close. It reminds Julian of Elim, though he doubts his partner would appreciate the analogy.

Keiko snaps a picture of Julian, Molly, and maybe even a narda or two.

While Elim isn’t a keen ornithologist either, he’s happy enough to discuss plants and gardening with Keiko. The two of them compare notes on edible flowers. Until he overheard the conversation, Julian had no idea the flowers of the red leaf tea tree are considered great delicacies.

Thus the first hour of their tour passes pleasantly. Miles tells Julian some entertaining stories about his students. Julian shares some of his (mis)adventures in cooking, to general amusement. Keiko eagerly accepts Elim’s offer to send her a few of his Cardassian herb seeds and promises to send him some hard-to-find-offworld Earth seeds in return.

These conversations happen between admiring birds (if halfheartedly on some of their parts) and, of course, looking after the kids. Julian’s job, as far as Molly is concerned, is now to pick her up whenever she needs a better view. Miles ends up carrying Yoshi on his shoulders after he got bored in his stroller. It keeps the boy out of any attractive mud puddles, which is to say all mud puddles. Yoshi makes a game of grabbing at leaves as Miles walks along. 

Halfway through the tour, they stop at a picnic area. “Many people like to bring home a picture of themselves with Redskar Gorge in the background,” says the guide, gesturing to the lush vista below. “We’ll take a break for you to admire the scenery, take those pictures, and don’t forget to stay hydrated if your species requires it in this climate.”

“Can I have a snack?” asks Yoshi, not at all interested in the view. Evidently the options are not to his liking, because a minute later he asks, “Do we have cookies?”

“No,” says Keiko. Pushing the stroller makes her the keeper of the snacks. “You can have okaki, peanut butter crackers, or grapes.”

Molly opts for peanut butter crackers. “Would you like one, Mr. Garak?”

“No, but thank you for the kind offer.”

Elim detests peanut butter because of how it sticks in his mouth. He doesn’t mind the flavor at all, as his willingness to eat Kara’s peanut butter cookies demonstrates, but won’t touch anything where the texture remains intact.

Julian sips his water and accepts an okaki. The rice crackers are something of an acquired taste. To him, they now taste like visiting the O’Briens in their quarters, and therefore he’s missed them more than he ever would have anticipated.

Getting snacks puts them dead last in line for the best picture angle. Or at least Julian assumes it’s the best, since it’s the one everyone else seems to want. He’s not much for photos. There’s no need. He won’t forget this moment, and a picture is a rather pale imitation. All the same, he has a small collection of images from his time on DS9, a solid three-quarters of them sent by Jadzia when she found out someone had a camera at a party and assumed he’d like the memories. While Julian can revisit them any time he cares to without looking at the files, it’s dawning on him that this may not always be the case. It’s not as though there are a lot of long-term studies on how well augmented memory persists into one’s final decades. Sixty years from now he might want photos. Maybe he’ll ask Keiko to send him a copy of the picture she took of him and Molly with the nardas, just to be on the safe side.

They’re between a small mountain and the gorge, which their guide tells them creates a unique habitat for a species of bird that specializes in boring holes in particularly dense trees. Keiko is interested in the tree part.

Miles puts away his water bottle and asks, “Any word yet on your paper?”

“Which one?” Julian recently submitted his first paper on how Breen energy weapons impact mitochondrial replication. Dr. Rabinowitz was very impressed with it.

“Jadzia’s memorial.”

“No, not yet. It hasn’t been that long, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another four months before I receive a response.”

“Oh,” says Miles. “Well, keep me updated.”

“I will.”

“Look! Shiny rocks!” Yoshi wanders off to pick up an alluring one.

“And a bird’s nest,” says Molly, not far behind her brother.

The kids amuse themselves for another minute while other tourists take these obligatory holiday photos. Miles watches them with a contented smile on his face.

Julian is about to tease Elim about his failure to collect even a single feather so far when a noise catches his ear. No one else seems to hear it, but that’s normal. He takes a few steps, trying to puzzle out this new sound away from the tourist chatter.

Elim notices. He always does. “Julian?” he asks, following.

The noise is growing louder. Can’t other people hear it yet? It’d be nice if the guide could tell them…

Julian looks up, figures it out, and sprints towards Yoshi, who’s closer than Molly. Elim is right behind him. Both Miles and Keiko start running, too, but they’re too far away.

A massive tree branch is falling, and the kids are right under it.

Miles and Keiko are good parents. They never let the kids get too far away, Yoshi especially because he’s so young. But the meters which separate them now make all the difference. Someone behind him is screaming, Molly is now looking overhead, eyes going wide, and Julian is almost there…

He grabs Yoshi and spins around to where they should be safe. Elim is going for Molly, but he’s a couple seconds behind and it’s not enough time.

The branch lands with a crash just as Julian skids to a stop.

“ _Molly_!” screams Keiko.

Yoshi starts bawling. Julian might be a bit abrupt at handing him off to Miles, but Yoshi is safe while Elim and Molly didn’t clear the branch – a branch as large as a fully-grown tree, and it might be that extra-dense wood the guide mentioned. The damage it could do is immense.

Closer up, he sees Elim knocked on his stomach, shielding Molly from the worst of the damage. Oh God, he’s not moving. “Elim? Molly?”

“I’m here,” says Molly, muffled, while behind them the guide is calling in an emergency.

Elim groans.

“Elim, talk to me.”

“You should’ve brought a medkit.”

Okay, he’s able to speak coherently. That’s a promising sign. Further inspection reveals that the branch pinned him at the legs. Also good news, relatively speaking. Legs are much easier to heal than, say, brains. Or lungs.

Julian wastes no time in ripping off the smaller branches which are blocking his view, and if people are staring at his ability to do so with relative ease, he really doesn’t care. He can’t roll the main branch off without causing more damage to Elim’s legs, though. It will have to be lifted cleanly, or transported away, whichever can be done first.

Once he’s removed enough smaller branches, Molly is able to scramble out from underneath, a bit scratched and no doubt bruised, but otherwise fine as far as Julian can tell. She’ll need a thorough examination all the same, of course. “Are you coming, Mr. Garak?” she asks.

Elim’s voice is strained when he replies, “Not just yet.”

“You’re hurt!”

“I’m sure Julian will have me fixed up soon.”

Molly hugs her parents. Keiko won’t take her hand off Molly’s shoulder, while Miles is looking in amazement where Elim lies pinned to the ground.

“Emergency transport in thirty seconds,” says their guide. “They’ll take one person to the hospital with him.”

“Me,” says Julian. He accepts the transport badge and kneels down to take Elim’s hand. “Transport in twenty seconds.”

When Elim starts counting down in Cardassi, Julian joins him, and they count together until the transport whisks them away.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited to share this chapter with you, dear readers! The series has been heading here for a while, and I hope you enjoy.

Elim’s tibias and fibulas were so thoroughly smashed as to require surgery. The doctors, understandably concerned about letting a partner in the operating room, did not want to give Julian any say, but reluctantly allowed him to advise on the procedure owing to their unfamiliarity with the Cardassian musculoskeletal system. Cardassian fibulas are larger than those of most species, and Julian had no intention of allowing some well-meaning but uninformed doctor to cause problems.

He could fix any such problems later, in all likelihood, but avoiding them in the first place is preferable. Besides, the surgeon almost put Elim’s third posterior tibial veins in the wrong places, on account of never having seen one before.

None of the damage looks to be permanent. Elim will struggle to walk for two or three days, and his legs will remain stiff and achy for several days after that, but within two weeks at the outside he should be back to normal. It’s not nearly as bad as it could have been. If the branch had landed on his back, or God forbid his head (or, of course, Molly’s head or back), the incident could’ve been fatal.

Julian sits in Elim’s room after the surgery and waits for him to regain consciousness.

Elim wakes up quickly, as always. Whether this is a personal quirk or a feature of Cardassian physiology, Julian has not yet determined and Elim has avoided saying. “The prognosis?” he asks.

“Complete recovery, though you’re in for an unpleasant week or two. Right now I’d be surprised if you could walk more than a few steps.”

“So long as it’s temporary,” says Elim.

“It is. Are you thirsty?”

“A bit.”

By the time Julian has Elim sipping water, a nurse comes in to check on him. She looks very unsure of herself, which is fair enough considering she’s been given a patient whose physiology she never studied. The hospital doctors want to monitor Elim overnight in case of any complications, a perfectly sensible precaution Elim is bound to dislike.

“How is Molly?” Elim asks.

“Physically fine. She only needed dermal regeneration. I think she’ll calm down once she sees you, because she’s keenly aware you were injured protecting her. Though I don’t think she’s yet realized either one of you could’ve died.” Or, for that matter, that she certainly would be dead if she’d still been standing in the spot from which Elim had grabbed her.

“It’s a good thing you have such exceptional hearing.”

Julian reaches over to squeeze Elim’s hand. “And that you pay attention to details like me straining to listen.”

The conversation is interrupted when the surgeon, Dr. Sabharwal, enters the room. She eyes the biobed readouts with satisfaction. “How do you feel?”

“In no great hurry to take a hike,” says Elim.

“I should think not. I’m sure Dr. Bashir already told you that you can expect a full recovery.”

“He did.”

“It will take some time. The level of regeneration we had to do can never perfectly replicate what your cells do on their own given time, and your body has to take care of the final healing stage at its normal pace. We’re going to keep you overnight for observation -”

“Is that really necessary?” interjects Elim before she can even explain her reasoning.

“Yes. If there’s a complication from the surgery, you need to be here for prompt treatment.” Utterly unmoved by Garak’s gaze of disapproval, she goes on, “We also had to use an anesthetic which has never been given to a Cardassian patient before, according to Dr. Bashir, and that requires closer follow-up than normal.”

“Even if my lifemate is a doctor?”

“Yes. It’s not up for debate.”

“It really isn’t,” adds Julian, just in case Elim has any ideas to the contrary. Why this hospital doesn’t stock a wider variety of anesthetics remains a mystery to him. He absolutely hated using it even though he thought it likely to be safe, but they had no other choice.

“As long as we see no causes for concern, you can leave tomorrow after lunch. And you can be thankful for that much. If your partner wasn’t a doctor, it’d be a full day later before we’d even consider releasing you.”

Elim grudgingly accepts that he has no choice, and after confirming with Julian that yes, this is in fact an acceptable pulse for a Cardassian, Dr. Sabharwal leaves to continue her rounds.

“Molly would’ve died,” Julian says.

As usual, Elim doesn’t focus on what could have happened. He’s never been concerned with anything but what is. “Fortunately, neither of us did.”

“Yes. If I’d lost you…” It’s too terrible a prospect to contemplate.

“You did not. And you know perfectly well I would be just as distraught if you were the one crushed under a tree.” There is no reproach in Elim’s tone, only simple fact, but even admitting to his own emotional distress means it would be very real indeed.

“I know.” Julian gives his hand another gentle squeeze. “Molly wants to see you, but if you’re not up to it, we can wait.”

“I’m sure I can manage a brief visit.”

Julian takes the walk out to the waiting area to compose himself, banishing thoughts of Elim’s death to the basement of his mind where he keeps all the subjects he doesn’t care to consider. By the time he reaches Miles, Keiko, and the kids, he’s able to present a calm front. Calm enough for Molly, anyway. He suspects Miles and Keiko can see right through it.

“Is Mr. Garak awake?” asks Molly.

“Yes. You can come see him, but only for a couple minutes, alright? He’s very tired.”

“Okay.”

Yoshi is asleep in his stroller. It would make perfect sense for one of his parents to stay with him in the waiting room, but both Miles and Keiko follow Julian, Miles pushing the stroller. Julian decides not to object, as long as the visit remains brief.

Once they enter Elim’s room, Molly slips her hand out of Keiko’s and runs the last few steps to Elim’s bed. “Julian says you’re going to be okay,” she tells him, in case he hadn’t gotten the memo.

“Indeed he does, so there’s no need to worry.”

“You’re my hero, Mr. Garak.”

Elim is at a rare loss for response. He misses a beat. “I’m glad you’re safe, Molly.”

She hugs him as best she can while he’s lying down. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome,” he says, patting her arm.

When Molly doesn’t let go, Keiko gently suggests, “I think we should let Mr. Garak rest.”

“Oh. Right. I’m sure Julian will take the best care of you.”

“He always does,” agrees Elim.

Keiko leads Molly out, pausing to mouth a _thank you_ which she’ll undoubtedly repeat later. Miles doesn’t immediately follow. Instead, he looks from Garak to Julian and back. “Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. For either of you.”

“No thanks are necessary, Chief.” Elim uses almost the same tone as though he’d reinforced a seam free of charge, the main difference being that his exhaustion is unmistakable. He must be more tired than he wanted to let on earlier, if he can’t keep it out of his voice now.

“They sure are on my end. Here’s Julian saving my son for the third time and you… well, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re one of the last people I’d expect to risk his life for my daughter.”

“You are Julian’s family,” says Elim, and promptly falls asleep.

Julian stares at him in wonder.

“I’m missing something here,” says Miles.

Julian drops into a nearby chair, Miles following suit. How very like Elim to articulate two profound truths in four words then check out of the conversation.

 _You are Julian’s family_. He’s right, of course, though Julian has never gotten the impression Cardassians are much for families of choice. Either way, Miles, Keiko and the children mean more to Julian than his blood relatives. The O’Briens do occupy a rather family-shaped space in his heart, but he’s never thought in precisely those terms until Elim spelled it out.

Then there’s the second layer of meaning.

“Julian?” prompts Miles.

“He’s right.”

“Yeah, but that’s not why you look like you’ve been hit with a phaser.”

Something warm unfurls in Julian’s chest at Miles’s characteristically understated agreement, and he goes on with his explanation. “Cardassian relationships come with familial obligations.”

“Does that mean you have obligations to his family?”

“No. He doesn’t have any living relatives.” Which may be just as well, selfish as that sounds even in his own head. Julian would never have honored Tain in any way. The jury is still out on his mother, owing to Elim’s disinclination to speak of her in any detail. Julian doesn’t even know her name, or anything about her other than Elim’s low opinion of her cooking. He takes some pleasure in Elim’s assessment that she would’ve liked him. 

“Okay.” Miles looks a touch relieved, and he doesn’t even know who Elim’s father was. That is not Julian’s information to share.

“However, said responsibilities don’t exist until a couple is married, although we probably wouldn’t be allowed to marry on Cardassia.” Though Elim has his ways. Julian wouldn’t rule marriage out entirely, not that it’s a salient point at all right now.

“Why not?” asks Miles.

“It’s difficult to get legal recognition of an interspecies union, but the important thing here is that he’s acting like we’re married.”

That is to say, in Elim’s mind there is no doubt. He is fully committed to Julian for the rest of his life. And in typical fashion, he made it clear through his actions, only resorting to words when all else failed to make his point.

Miles is still working this out. “So, he had to risk death for Molly because he thinks of you as his husband?”

“It’s the only way he’d act as though Molly is his niece.”

“Wait a minute. You mean Garak thinks of me as a _brother-in-law_?” Julian has never seen Miles so shocked, and this is a man who once learned that another woman was suddenly carrying his and his wife's child. 

“More or less, yes.” The intricacies of Cardassian familial relationships aren’t Julian’s forte, exactly, but the comparison is at least reasonably accurate.

“I’ll be damned.”

* * *

Julian waits until Elim is settled in bed in their hotel room before he broaches the subject of Elim’s comment the day before. The trouble is, he’s not terribly good at these kinds of emotional conversations, and Elim is worse still. It takes work on both of their parts, and he didn’t think Elim would appreciate having this discussion in a hospital room where strangers could walk in at any time.

Now is as good a time as any. He sits on the bed, taking care to jostle as little as possible for Elim’s comfort. “About what you said to Miles yesterday.”

This gets him one of Elim’s patented I-can’t-believe-you-missed-this looks. “Surely you knew.”

“I may have entertained doubts, once or twice, about what you’d do if you could return to Cardassia.” Well, entertained is overstating the case. They showed up unwanted and he promptly banished them to the mental basement, but the point is, they were there.

Elim sets his chin just so, the way he does when he’s serious and not attempting to obfuscate. “If I had my choice, I would return to Cardassia with you.”

Julian’s doubts evaporate. What Elim wants is no small thing in Cardassian society, where interspecies sexual partners are all well and good, but romantic or life partners are considered inferior and unworthy. It would do Elim’s social standing no favors and Julian means enough to him that he’d do it regardless.

“I’d be open to discussing it,” says Julian, finding to his own surprise he means this. “Provided you weren’t going to rebuild the Order.” He accepts who Elim used to be and what he did in that life, but won’t be party to it now.

“I would not. Make no mistake, I have no desire to see Cardassia wholly remade in the Federation image. I do not, however, think it wise or desirable to rebuild the Order.”

Alright. Julian can work with that, and he knows perfectly well Elim is aware of the Obsidian Order’s sins. He didn’t really think Elim would want to rebuild it, he just needed to hear the words for once. “In this hypothetical scenario, if we were somehow able to get what we wanted, would you consider spending part of the year on Cardassia and part in the Federation?” As a long-term arrangement it has challenges – not many hospitals want doctors for only half the year, for one thing – but the question serves a larger purpose. He has to know if Elim would be willing to compromise. Elim, after all, has a long history of insisting that everything be on his terms.

“I think it would be difficult to arrange, but hypothetically, I would not rule it out if such a plan would ensure your happiness. Again, I don’t imagine the issue will ever arise.”

Even knowing Elim’s penchant for pessimism, Julian trusts this assessment. If there’s one aspect in his life where Elim might tend to hope for the best, it’s his chances of returning to Cardassia. The important information here is that Julian isn’t a consolation prize. Some unacknowledged part of him feared might be the case, and as is his usual habit, he buried the unpleasant thought.

It occurs to him that he and Elim should probably work on their communication as a couple, and he should also work on communicating with himself.

But he can worry about that later. Now he leans in to wrap himself around Elim, minding his legs of course, and feel secure in his new knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know what you think of this chapter. =)


	6. Chapter 5

Garak never would’ve accepted Julian’s offer of a committed relationship if he intended to leave at the first opportunity. Whatever humans might think – or more disapprovingly still, a certain Klingon with whom he was acquainted on Deep Space Nine – Garak has his own code of honor, applicable to those few he deems worthy. It is rather stricter than is popular among Cardassians of his generation, and it means he would not have entered anything but a casual partnership if he might return to Cardassia.

No. He does not anticipate that he will ever set foot on Cardassia again, and therefore has deliberately chosen to make the best life he can in the Federation. He will not waste years for what will never come to pass. And if it does? Then he and Julian will have some difficult choices to make. Together.

He’d thought he had been clear about this. Then again, the subtleties of Cardassian social interactions are notoriously difficult for other species to interpret, and as much as Julian has spent years learning to understanding what Garak does not verbalize, some failures are inevitable. Garak should have taken pains to make his point more obvious.

There is nothing to do for it but apologize the human way. Garak has never quite grasped how words without actions are supposed to appropriately demonstrate regret, but the fact of the matter is that Garak cannot reasonable expect Julian to do all the compromising on interspecies communication.

“My dear,” he says, “in the unlikely event I am able to return to Cardassia, I will not simply leave you, and I apologize for giving you the impression that would be the case.”

Julian’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. He wasn’t expected the forthright apology, obviously. “It wasn’t anything you said or did specifically since we got together. Just… Cardassia has always come first for you.”

“You are aware of the saying, _family is all_ ,” says Garak, switching to Cardassi for those three words because he doesn’t think Standard does the phrase justice. “There’s always a certain tension between the primacy of the state and the family. We really ought to read some philosophy on the matter.” Possibly even banned works. He imagines Julian would find them very enlightening. “In any event, I failed to make it clear to you that my priorities underwent a slight realignment when I accepted your request for a romantic relationship.” Specifically, they expanded to include Julian completely.

“Slight?”

“Nothing more was necessary,” says Garak, and he thinks that is plenty explicit enough.

It is, thankfully. Julian beams. “Apology accepted, inasmuch as it was required. I can’t say I’m blameless for not even wanting to think about it, let alone ask you.”

Garak, who has plenty of experience in carefully not thinking about subjects, simply nods. He cannot fault Julian’s concern, really. His own first reaction, when he returned home to that marvelous dinner offering a relationship, was to fear that Julian would change his mind. This is a man who was once betrothed and yet did not marry – practically unheard of on Cardassia unless circumstances are exceptional, though Garak understands it is not unduly alarming among humans.

He has decided not to hold Julian’s youthful mistake against him. Julian has afforded him the same courtesy for errors greater in magnitude and number.

Julian is thinking intently. Garak, once he recognizes the expression, decides to wait and see in which direction Julian chooses to take the conversation.

“Let’s get married.”

That is not a direction Garak anticipated.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any family heirlooms to ask you properly,” continues Julian, as though that’s the important factor here, “and I know you think human proposal traditions are silly, so here we are. I think we should get married.”

It’s not that Garak doesn’t want to, or that he will insist on a Cardassian betrothal tradition. He is, however, slightly wary of Julian rushing into the commitment without due consideration, which is a very Julian course of action. Humans, in Garak’s and indeed nearly every Cardassian opinion, don’t take the bonds of marriage seriously enough. They divorce far too easily, and Garak does not think he could bear such a thing.

When Julian’s face begins to fall, Garak hastens to avert catastrophe. “Forgive me, my dear. Your interest in matrimony seems rather sudden.”

“Maybe, but I doubt for the reason you think.”

“Oh?”

“What I’ve learned about relationships is that you don’t meet the right person, get married, and live happily ever after as a matter of course. A successful relationship takes work. It requires compromise, commitment, and a willingness to make the effort and put yourself second sometimes. Once I figured that out, the certificate and ceremony became less important to me. Whether you’re my partner or my husband is mostly a matter of terminology. It won’t change our relationship, not really, and by change I mean somehow make it permanent and easy just because we’ve signed a marriage license and eaten cake.”

“I’m glad to see you learned something from my objections to human fairy tales, at least.” Happily ever after is such a ridiculous notion. Humans set their children up for considerable disappointment there.

“I’m not done, Elim. I would be delighted to marry you, but I don’t need to because everything I want with you, I already have. Besides, you didn’t bring it up.”

Garak never expected anyone would be delighted to marry him. He is not inclined to admit that, however.

“You cannot possibly have failed to realize the importance of matrimony in Cardassian culture.”

“No, I have not,” says Julian. “I also have not missed that there is room for individuals to take or leave parts of their culture as it pleases them, and since you never mentioned marriage, I thought it wasn’t that important to you, either. Not to mention, unless I’m mistaken Cardassians marrying other races is practically unheard of.”

“Practically,” concedes Garak. The predominant line of thinking holds that anyone who has to settle for an alien lifemate ought to be pitied. Garak never would have imagined being so perfectly happy to have an alien lifemate, and he does not at all care what anyone else has to say on the matter. Cardassian suitors could start lining up outside his shop and he would politely decline them all in favor of Julian.

“Regardless, I see my error now. What I assumed was ambivalence was you being afraid of rejection.”

That is simply unnecessary. “It is bad enough that you know my fears, Julian. Must you verbalize them as well?”

“On occasion.”

Garak supposes there are downsides to any relationship.

“This isn’t a whim, Elim,” Julian says earnestly. “I know you’re worried that I’m being impulsive again, but the fact is I already made my commitment to you.”

“Then why bother with marriage?” Humans don’t always, after all. Garak has never seen the sense in forgoing legal matrimony, but it’s hardly the first human habit he cannot understand, or the most perplexing.

“Because it will make you happy, for one thing,” Julian says. Garak is still amazed to have found someone so invested in his happiness. “And because, well, it’d be nice to make it official.”

It would indeed.

“We know we’ve made the commitment for the rest of our lives. This way everyone else would, too.”

Garak cannot think of anything more pleasing that Julian wanting everyone they meet to know that he is Garak’s and Garak is his, to become each other’s family in the eyes of the law, which is of course the most solemn personal pledge one can make. Admittedly, Garak already considers Julian his family, but it isn’t codified.

“I accept,” he says.

Julian, predictably, goes for a kiss. He does love them. Garak indulges him, and finds that even with aching legs, he has never been happier.

“I imagine you want to proceed immediately while the O’Briens are here,” he says when next given the opportunity, after a fair bit of kissing which probably would’ve led to sex if he wasn’t injured.

Julian is lying on his side, propped up on one elbow and looking at Garak adoringly. “I thought we could go back to Vad – home,” he corrects deliberately, “as long as Miles can change their transport reservations. I’d like to invite Ezri and Kira, and I don’t think Kara will ever forgive me if she doesn’t get a chance to attend our wedding.”

“Likely not.” The woman is not to be underestimated. Garak appreciates that about her.

“I thought you might like Sorvek to be there, too. You’ll need a witness who is a Federation citizen.”

Garak would not object to Professor O’Brien as ‘his’ witness, but he can see the symbolic value of the individual not being someone he knows through Julian. Besides, he does enjoy Sorvek’s company. Sorvek is never a challenge, but at this point in his life, and with Julian to debate as much as he pleases, Garak finds great value in a steady acquaintanceship which might, he thinks, be well on its way to friendship.

“I will ask him. Chief O’Brien will be yours, I trust.” He cannot imagine Julian choosing anyone else.

“Of course.” Julian traces Garak’s eyeridges, one at a time, with his fingertips. “I don’t care about anything elaborate. Just making it official and having our friends there.”

Garak does not care about elaborate details either – with one important exception. “We need to be well-dressed. I have a professional reputation to maintain.”

“I’ll leave that to you.”

“Words I have longed to hear you say about your wardrobe.”

“Don’t get too used to it,” says Julian, laughter in his eyes.

The truly marvelous thing is that Garak can get used to seeing that expression on Julian’s face for the rest of their lives.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end of this installment. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment, it makes me very happy. =)

Miles is still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Garak thinks of him as a brother-in-law when he shows up at Julian and Garak’s hotel room with dinner.

Before Garak saved Molly’s life, Miles accepted him mainly based on his relationship with Julian. Okay, they had come to a sort of detente after Empok Nor mission. Miles could relate to being forced by circumstances to do things you never wanted to, and he appreciated that Garak tried to be gentle to Nog afterward (even if Garak went to great lengths to hide it). But the most important factor in tolerating Garak was that for reasons Miles was sure he’d never understand, Julian had gone and fallen in love with the man, and the relationship was obviously good for him. Since Julian was happy, Miles could put up with Garak. He’d assumed that Garak felt similarly about him.

He would never have guessed the brother-in-law thing in a million years.

Truth is, he’d been concerned that Julian was much more invested in the relationship than Garak, and that anyway Garak was too selfish to make a good partner. Since Garak loves Julian so much that he felt compelled to risk his life to save Molly, it’s clear Miles was spectacularly wrong.

It’s not that Miles takes for granted that Julian also risked his life to save Yoshi. Not for a moment. That isn’t the kind of thing a father could possibly fail to appreciate, but it’s not shocking the way Garak doing the same is. Miles knows what kind of person Julian is. He’s starting to think he doesn’t have much idea who Garak is, after all.

Words aren’t his strongest suit, so Miles can’t think of any which are strong enough for how grateful he is to both Julian and Garak. This led to him heartily agreeing with Keiko’s suggestion that they do something nice for the two of them. She decided to bring the local specialty food – not a molecule of it replicated, Miles is told – to Julian and Garak’s room so Garak could enjoy the meal in relative comfort.

When Julian opens the door, Molly holds up a bag. “Hi Julian! Dad let us get extra dessert.”

“It’s a good thing I’m extra hungry, then.”

Molly had a rough night. She woke up with a nightmare that the tree fell on her legs, but after a good cry she fell back asleep and seems happier now. Miles would prefer not to see a tree ever again. Keiko doesn’t want either of the kids out of her sight.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Garak?” Molly asks.

“Better, thank you.”

Miles has a feeling Garak would say that if his legs were about to fall off.

“We made sure not to get anything with dairy,” Molly goes on. “Julian said that’s important.”

Too bad about that. Miles has heard good things about Prelan cheesecake, but under the circumstances, he’s more than willing to forgo it.

“Thank you,” says Garak. “I appreciate that.”

“Not half as much as we appreciate you,” says Keiko.

Yoshi picks this moment to show off his new favorite toy. “I have a shark. Look, it bites.” He then demonstrates the shark’s ability to chomp air. Miles’s brother Sean has a knack for picking out gifts Yoshi loves, and the shark is the latest. Miles likes it for its ability to entertain Yoshi, since transport ships are not designed to entertain three-and-a-half-year-olds.

Julian admires the shark for a couple minutes while Molly tells Garak what they brought for dinner. Yoshi particularly likes making the shark eat Julian’s finger. Miles knows from experience that anyone’s finger will do, but Julian makes appropriate noises which go over very well with Yoshi.

Miles gets to work cutting up Yoshi’s meal while Keiko sets out food on every available surface, buffet-style. It smells delicious. The bigger question is if Yoshi is in an adventurous eating mood or not. There’s always the replicator if he refuses to try something new. Miles is not up for a fight over dinner tonight, and Keiko probably isn’t either. Nothing like seeing your kids almost crushed by a tree to let them have whatever they want to eat.

When the food is ready, Keiko goes over and gives Julian a hug. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are,” she says.

“You don’t have to,” Julian replies, returning her hug. Her eyes get a little watery, but she nods and lets go – only to hug Garak, who was obviously not expecting it and doesn’t seem to know what to make of it. Not much of a hugger, that one.

“Thank you,” says Keiko.

“You’re welcome.”

Julian clears his throat. “Before we eat, I want you to be the first to know. Elim and I are getting married.”

Miles isn’t even a little bit surprised. And he thinks that for Julian with his love of challenge, Garak might just be husband material after all.


End file.
